Jo Beverley - [Malloren] Page 38

  Over the next couple of years he will indeed find that his situation stings as King Louis withdraws his protection, and he has to flee the embassy. He ends up for a time in a set of rooms in London, guarding the collection of documents which the king wants destroyed, knowing they alone keep him safe. He has the place booby-trapped with bombs, and employs a small army of his own to defend it.

  In the end, perhaps because of real affection, George III agrees to give D’Eon protection in England, and Louis agrees to pay him a pension for his valuable service. But on one bizarre condition: D’Eon is to wear women’s clothes for the rest of his life. (Perhaps Rothgar had a hand in that, too.) This he does, leading to the never-ending speculation as to whether he was male or female.

  Is this the end of the Mallorens? Well, I’m certainly not going to disturb the happiness of Hilda and Steen to create a story there, but I hope to set other books in this world. Fort’s brother Victor is soon to return from his grand tour. Perhaps he will be hero material. Or perhaps I will simply find new characters in the fashionable world of England in the 1760s, characters who will meet the Mallorens so we can all follow their, hopefully tranquil, lives.

  I enjoy hearing from readers. You can contact me through Meg Ruley at the Jane Rotrosen Agency, 318 East 51st Street, New York, N.Y. 10022 (SASE appreciated) or by e-mail to jobev@poboxes.com.

  You can ask to be on my e-mail list, which means you will receive a few messages a year about upcoming books and such.

  There is also a mail-list group where readers of my books can talk about them. I try to visit most days. You can join by going to http://www.onelist.com/subscribe/jobeverley.

  My web site contains a complete book list and many relevant links, especially to English history. It also has a few scenes of Rothgar and Diana that were cut from Secrets of the Night. The address is http://www.poboxes.com/jobev.

  And finally, a wish for you:

  May the gods be exceedingly kind.

  If you loved Devilish, don’t miss

  Jo Beverley’s wickedly sexy and exciting story

  in an all-new historical romance anthology …

  In Praise of Younger Men

  Featuring original stories by

  New York Times bestselling authors

  Jo Beverley

  and

  Cathy Maxwell

  and rising stars

  Jaclyn Reding and Lauren Royal

  Available from New American Library

  in early 2001